The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-07-08

h'~-A5A0A bridge,
Capt. Reid's Adventures in South Amar,..
'They are coming toward th.
bridge; they will most likely cross 4,
the rocks yonder," observed Raou
"How-swim it?" asked. at Is :.
torrent there"
"Oh, mol" answered the Frenchman
"Monkeys would rather 90 thronah
tire than water. If they can not lass
the stream they will bridge it,
Bridge it!-and how?"
"You will see in q moment" nv
companion replied.
Presently the monkey appeared ~
on the the opposite bank, headed by
an old gray chieftain, differed like *
many soldiers. One, an aide-de-camn
or chief pioneer, perhaps, ran out M
on projecting rock, and after look.
ing across the stream, as if calcnlat.
ing the distance, scampered back.
ana appeared to communicate with
the leader. This produced move.
ment in the troops. Meanwhileseyer
al OF the monkeys (engineers, no
doubt) ran along the bank, examinino
the trees on both sides OF arrayo. AZ
length they all collected around tai
| cottonwood that grew over the nav.
rowest part of the stream, and twenty
or thirty of them scampered up IT,
trunk. On reaching high point The
foremost, q strong fellow, ran out uu.
on limb, and taking several turns 81
his tail around it, slipped of and
hung head downward. The NEXT AZ
the limb, also a stout one, climbed
down the body of the first, and whjn.
ped his tail tightly around the neek
and forearm OF the latter, dropped of
in his turn and hung head down.
The third repeated this maneuy.
er upon the second, and the fourth
upon the string rested his forepaws
upon the ground. The living chain
now commenced swinging backward
and forward like the pendulum of. 4
clock. The motion was slight at first.
but gradually increased, the lower.
most monkey striking his hands VIC.
lently on the earth as he passed the
tangent of the osciiiating curve. Sew.
eral Others upon the limbs above aid
ed the movement. This continued
until the monkey at the end OF the
chain was thrown among the branches
OF tree on the opposite bank. Here,
after two or three vibrations, he
clutched limb and held fast. This
movement was executed adroitly.
just at the eliminating point Of the
oscillation, in order to save the in.
termediate links from too sudden a
jerk. The chain was now fast at both
ends, forming q complete suspension
bridge, over which the whole troop, to
the number of four or five hundred,
passed. 1t was comical sight to
witness the quizzical expression Of
countenance along that living chain.
After the troops had passed, one
monkey attached his tail to the low.
est on the bridge, another girded him
in the same manner, and another
until a dozen more were added to
the string. These last were power
full fellows, aud running up to high
limb. they lifted the bridge into po.
sition almost horizontal. Then a
scream from the last monkey OF the
new formation, warned the tail end
that all was ready, and the next mo-
ment the whole chain was swung over
and landed safely on the opposite
bank. The lowermost links now
dropped of like a melting candle
while the higher ones leaped to the
branches and came down by the
trunk. THE whole troop then scam
pered of into the chapparal and dis
appeared.